Google refutes lawsuit saying it has an internal ‘spying program’

December 20, 2016

It might not all be free snacks and massages at Google headquarters.

A lawsuit filed by an anonymous product manager Tuesday alleges the Silicon Valley search company is violating California labor laws with its stringent confidentiality policies that include a “spying program,” according to a report Tuesday from news site The Information.

The suit says Google encourages employees to rat out other employees for leaking information. It also claims Google forbids employees from writing a novel about working at a Silicon Valley tech company without Google giving the fiction an OK.

Some of the other controlling behavior from the suit includes threatening to fire anyone who leaks information to the media and not allowing any internal workplace discussion about work issues, like wages, legal violations and other usual workplace concerns.

A Google spokesperson called the lawsuit “baseless.” In an email statement to Mashable, Google wrote, “We will defend this suit vigorously because it’s baseless. We’re very committed to an open internal culture, which means we frequently share with employees details of product launches and confidential business information. Transparency is a huge part of our culture.”

“We will defend this suit vigorously because it’s baseless”

“Our employee confidentiality requirements are designed to protect proprietary business information, while not preventing employees from disclosing information about terms and conditions of employment, or workplace concerns.”

The lawsuit also says Google urges employees to not put worries about company problems or illegal activity into writing so that it can’t get into the wrong hands.

The suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court Tuesday, was brought by “John Doe” who is represented by the San Francisco employment law attorney Chris Baker, according to court records. Mashable reached out to the attorney, but did not hear back in time for comment.